Morgan 4-H livestock team wins first in state

By Staff
Clif Knight, Hartselle Enquirer
When it comes to quality Jose Garner, Hunter Garnett, Josh Melson and Matt Walker know their hogs, cattle and sheep.
The foursome, competing as a team, swept top honors in the Alabama 4-H Livestock Judging Competition at Auburn University on July 20. They finished first in every division, including swine, sheep, beef cattle and reasons, and established a new state record with a combined score of 69. Their next level of competition will come in November when they compete against 49 other state winners in the 4-H Livestock Nationals in Louisville, Ky.
The team has strong ties to Danville High School. Garner is a senior, Garnett, a sophomore and Melson, a 2007 graduate who is enrolled at Auburn University. Brett Crowe, a Danville High grad who is currently enrolled in graduate school at Kansas State University, was their coach. Walker is a sophomore at Hartselle High School.
"I wasn't surprised that they won at state,"said Crowe, who is nationally ranked at the collegiate level in livestock judging. "They're intelligent kids with a strong work ethic. When you have that you can accomplish anything if you work at it hard enough."
He also pointed out that his students were eager to listen and learn, had great support from their parents and from local farmers who allowed them to study and grade their animals.
"They use a point system to judge animals from best to worst and then have to give an oral presentation (Reasons) to justify their scores," Crow added. "To perform at a high level requires a lot of study and hands-on repetition. Some days we'd practice for up to six hours."
"We've judged livestock in 4-H and FFA for several years," said Sandy Fields, agribusiness instructor at Danville High School. "Morgan County has had FFA teams win state honors in the past but this is the first time I can recall when we've had a 4-H team to come out on top. And to place first in all judging categories is something very special."
"Now that Brett is heading back to college I'll be working with the team as it prepares for the nationals," Fields said. "I just hope I can help them half as much as much as he did."
Crowe said he'll try to arrange his class schedule so that he can be with the team when it competes again in November.
"Alabama has never had a national champion in 4-H livestock judging," he said. "But I think this team has the potential to change that."